Mechanical amusement device



April 11, 1944. H. u. KIMMEL MECHANICAL AMUSEMENT DEVICE Filed Aug. 24, 1943 IN VEN TOR HARRY .1. KIMMl-:L

ATTORNEY Y Patented Apr. 11, 1944 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE MECHANICAL AMUSEMENT DEVICE Harry J. Kimmel, Seattle, Wash.V Application August 24, 1943, Serial No. 499,787

4 Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in a mechanical amusement device and, more particularly, to toys of the type wherein there is a revolving ligure.

It is an important object of my invention to provide a toy in which there is high amusemeni-l value, coupled with simplicity of construction andof operation.

Another object of my invention is the provision, in a mechanical toy of the type described, of an erectable target which is disposed in View and in the path of iiight of a wheeled figure simultaneously with the initiation of movement of said gure toward the target.

A still further and more specic object of my invention is to provide, in a mechanical amusement device of the type described, a simple operating mechanism that is not deleteriously effected by hard or under long and continuous usage.

The foregoing objects and others ancillary thereto I prefer to accomplish as follows:

According to a preferred embodiment of my invention, I provide upon a baseboard a pair of inclined rails which form a track for a wheeled revolving toy to follow in movement under the urgence of gravity. At the upper end of the ineline, latch means is disposed adjacent the rail to retain the wheeled figure. Near the lower end of the inclined rails is a target which may comprise a gure or other element of any shape and appearance, that is pivotally mounted to on occasion be erected in the path of the wheeled iigure, and to, upon being struck by the wheeled gure, be knocked down. By means of a tilting beam that is manually operated, the latch means are withdrawn to release the wheeled figure and permit it to revolve and travel along the inclined rails, and said means simultaneously functions to erect the target into a upright position. Operable upon the striking down of the target is a trip member which is erected to terminate the rotations of the wheeled gure after it has struck the pivoted gure and to hold it upright for viewing.

The novel features that I consider characteristic of my invention are set forth with particularity in the appended claims. The invention itself, however, both as to its organization and its methods of operation, together with additional objects and advantages thereof, will best be understood from the following description of a specific embodiment when read in connection with the accompanying drawing, in which:

Figure 1 is a side elevation View of my mechanical amusement device.

Figure 2 is a vertical sectional view taken on line 2-2 of Figure 1,

Figure 3 is a vertical sectional View of the left end portion of the device shown in Figure 1,

Figure 4 is a perspective view of the operating mechanism within my toy,

Figure 5 is a fragmentary vertical sectional view of the gure arresting mechanism employed in the device, and Y Figure 6 is a fragmentary detailed View of the upper end of an inclined rail and a portion of the latch mechanism.

An amusement device of the nature of mine. must have at least two totally distinct character-- istics; it must be capable of withstanding hard and continuous usage by all types of persons; and it must be of such a construction and combination of elements that is simple to produce and to maintain in operation. Accordingly, the preferred embodiment of my invention, referring to Figure 1 of drawing, is constituted by a baseboard Il) which has erected thereabove a pair of upright walls I2 and I4, in parallel spaced apart arrangement. The side walls are joined at their ends by the end wall I6, shown in Figure 3,to` thus define a hollow rectangular space. On the upper edges of the wall l2 are a pair of spaced apart and parallel inclined rails I8, I8, which,

at the lower end, have a hooked abutment 20 and at the upper end stop 22, downward of which along the side are provided the keeper anges 24.

Upon the inclined rails, during operation of the toy, moves the gure 26 that is secured to roller 28. The roller is retained momentarily at the upper end of the inclined rails I8 by a pair of downwardly movable latching horns 38, 30. It will be understood that when the horns 38 are withdrawn downward to release the roller 28, the roller starts down the inclined plane by the rails I8 and the figure 26 moves with it and revolves around the axis of the roller. Adjacent the lower end of the rails I8 or the abutment 28 is an object ligure 32, which by means of a rear iiange 34 is pivotally mounted on the pin 36 for swinging movement from the reclining position of ligure 3 to the upright position of g'ure I.

The withdrawal of the latching horns 30 downward and the erection of the figure 32 upward is accomplished by the use of a pair of beams 38 pivoted on the pin 40 between the Walls I2 and I4 of the toy, and to which by the pin 42 the downwardly movable latch members 3l! are connected, A nger button 44 on the spindie 48 connected to cross member 41 is employed in the manual depression of the beams 38 on their right end and their upward movement on the left end in the drawings. Movable with pin 46 is a stop bar 48 which arrests the heel 21 of the revolvable figure 2li when it is retained by latches 30. When button 44 is depressed the stop 48 moves downward out of engagement with the heel 21 permitting the gure 26 to start revolving as it rolls forward down the incline.

On a cross-member 50 on the left end of the beam 38, is a raiser arm 52, which engages-in the hook 35 on the back of the object gure 32 and in upward movement erectshthat figure simultaneous with the downward withdrawal of the horns 3D, thus disposing the object figure- 32 in the path of the revolving figure 25, as it moves down the inclined plane.

Closely adjacent the intermediate'cross-mem'- ber 60 on the beams 38 is al pivotedstop-member incline of rails I8, it 'revolves and, as it reaches the rail ends, strikes the hinged object member 32 which then falls to the position of figure 3, depressing the left end of the beams 38.' This downward movement of the beams cause the member 60 also to move downward against portion 64 of the stop B2 which is then erected in the path of the heel 21 of the wheeledgure 26. Simultaneously with thei downward movement of the left end of the beams 38' the right end moves upward to raise the horns 3D into latching position. Also the button 44 'is-raised into position and the device is" ready for reuse.

Although I have shown and described certain specific embodiments of my invention, I am fully 'aware that many Amodifications thereof are possible.

I claim:

l. A mechanical amusement device, comprising: an object member hingedly mounted and normally positioned in recline, an inclined track directed toward said object, a wheeled figure to roll on and be guided by said track toward said object, means for releasably retaining said wheeled ligure at an upper point on said in clined track, and means operable to release said retaining means and to simultaneously erect saidV object member into thev path 4ofthe advancing wheeled figure whereby when the gure strikes the object the latter is returned to reclining position and the retaining means are returned to retaining position with respect to the track.

2. A mechanical amusement device, comprising: an object member hingedly mounted and normally positioned in recline, an inclined track directed toward said object, a wheeled figure to roll on and be guided by said track toward said object, downwardly movable means for releasably retaining said wheeled gure at an upperpoint on said inclined track, and means including a tilting beam operable to withdraw said retaining means downward and to simultaneously erect said 'object member into the path of the advanc- 'Ying wheeled figure whereby when the ligure strikes the object the latter is returned to reclining position and the retaining means are returned to retaining position with respect to the track.

3. A mechanical amusement device, comprising: an'object member hingedlyV mounted and normally positioned in recline, an inclined track directed toward said object, a Wheeled gure to:

roll on and be guided by said track toward said object, means for releasably retaining saidv wheeled figure at an upper point on vsaid in'" clined track, means operable to release said retaining means and to simultaneouslyerect said object member into the path of the advancing Vwheeled figure whereby when the ligure strikes the object the latter is returned to reclining' position and the retaining lmeans are returned roll on and be guided by said track toward said object, downwardly movable means for releasably retaining said wheeled figure at an upper r point on said inclined track, and a tilting beam y ywhereby when the figure strikes the'object the Vlatter is returned to reclining position and the retaining means are returned to retaining position with respect to the track, and means to arrest said wheeled gure in a predetermined manner after it has struck the object member.

HARRY J. KIMMEL. 

